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Cyber and Data Sciences

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RAND was at the forefront of early computing and data science. In the 1950s, we built computers to improve researchers' analytic and modeling capabilities. We also developed data communications technologies that were forerunners of the internet. Today, RAND experts recommend policies and best practices to support safe and secure technological innovation and adoption.

Cortney Weinbaum studies topics related to intelligence and cyber policy as a senior management scientist at RAND. In this interview, she discusses challenges facing the intelligence community, the risks of using AI as a solution, and ethics in scientific research.

People who are younger, more affluent and do not have established health care relationships are more likely to use a telemedicine program that allows patients to get medical help — including prescriptions — by talking to a doctor over the telephone.

Willis Ware, a RAND Corporation engineer who in the 1960s predicted the ubiquity of the personal computer, the ways it would propel people into lives of perpetual change, and the perils it would pose for personal privacy, has died. He was 93.

Being able to provide high-quality health care is a primary driver of job satisfaction among physicians, and obstacles to quality patient care are a source of stress for them. For example, the systems for electronic health records in use today are cumbersome to operate and contribute to their dissatisfaction.

California health regulators should begin collecting physician identifiers as part of their routine data collection efforts about the services provided at the state's hospitals. Such a move would help providers improve quality by aiding efforts to benchmark performance and reduce variations in the delivery of care.

Health care providers are encouraged to implement “shared decision making” in which patients and doctors together choose the treatment that is best for each patient. However, doctors need more instruction on how to engage patients and better information systems to make sure patients know their options and receive individualized care.

Despite wide investments nationally in electronic medical records and related tools, the cost-saving promise of health information technology has not been reached because the systems deployed are neither interconnected nor easy to use.

Productivity gains that can be achieved by widely adopting health information technology are likely to come from the reengineering of health care and may require new measurement tools to accurately gauge their impact.

Researchers from the RAND Corporation and other institutions have begun pilot-testing a web-based tool designed to help parents and adult caregivers determine whether to seek urgent medical attention for a sick child with flu-like symptoms.

A new online tool, called the "Unintended Consequences Guide," is available from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to help hospitals and other health care organizations anticipate, avoid, and address problems that can occur when adopting and using electronic health records.

Paul Baran, who helped develop the building blocks of the Internet during the 1960s while working as a researcher at the RAND Corporation, died March 26 at his home in Palo Alto, Calif., from complications relating to lung cancer. He was 84.

Because it will be difficult to prevent cyber attacks on critical civilian and military computer networks by threatening to punish attackers, the United States must focus its efforts on defending these networks from cyber attack.

Routine use of electronic health records may improve the quality of care provided in community-based primary care practices more than other common strategies intended to raise the quality of medical care.

Creating a unique patient identification number for every person in the United States would facilitate a reduction in medical errors, simplify the use of electronic medical records, increase overall efficiency and help protect patient privacy.

Security experts from the technology industry, law enforcement and academia will outline what is needed to better measure and understand the effect of computer-based crime in the United States during a public forum Sept. 25 in Silicon Valley.

Researcher Spotlight

Statistical Analyst

Adam Scherling is a statistical analyst at the RAND Corporation. His interests include statistical methodology, statistical programming, interactive data visualization, and applications across the social sciences. He received his B.A. in economics from Carleton College and his M.S. in statistics…

Associate Physical Scientist

Jared Mondschein is an associate physical scientist at the RAND Corporation. His technical expertise is in renewable energy storage solutions and carbon capture technologies, having studied materials for the light-driven transformation of water and carbon dioxide into fuels and value-added…

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Cyber and Data Sciences

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